Jia's POV (A/N: surprise!)

"Ay," Wala sa sarili kong sambit. Napatingin tuloy sakin si Mich na nasa tabi ko lang. Kakarating lang namin dito sa BEG and halos kumpleto na sila, coaching staffs at rookies na lang ang kulang. Akala ko kasi late na kami since medyo na late kami ng gising at wala na rin yung team sa dorm. Mabilisan tuloy kaming kumain at nag-prepare ni Mich para sa morning training.

"Para san yung 'ay', babe?" Mich yawns, fixing her ponytail. "We made it on time naman."

"Bakit wala yung mga rookies?" I ask, palinga-linga pa ako since hinahanap ng mata ko yung makulit na kapre kong best friend bukod kay Mich.

"Sus, bakit kamo wala si Bea." Mich says at nginitian ako ng nakakaloko. "Nako, parang iba na yan ah."

Hinampas ko naman sya ng malakas sa braso, making her yelp. "Aray ko naman, Jia! Napaka-sadista eh."

I smiled sweetly at her. "Para mawala yung antok mo. Halatang nanaginip ka pa eh."

"Grabe ka sakin Jia talaga. Ganyan ka rin ba kay Bea? Nako, baka ma-turn off yun sayo. Sadista!" Mich says as she nurses her arm na ngayon ay namumula na.

Umakto naman ako na hahampasin ko sya ulit. "Kulang pa yata yung hampas ko sayo? Parang nagsasalita ka nang tulog eh."

"Peace na tayo! Di na ako mang-aasar." Mich says, walking away from me. "Dun na nga lang ako kina Ana. Bahala ka dyan mabaliw kaka-isip kay Bea."

Napa-iling na lang ako nung tumakbo sya kina Ana and naiwan akong mag-isa. Now that I think about it, hindi ako nawawalan ng kasama since laging nasa tabi ko si Bea. Lalo na sa mga trainings since lagi kaming partners. Nakakapagod man pero thankful din ako sa mga additional training hours namin dahil kailangan naming i-practice pa yung connection namin as well as yung footing nya and kung anong set ko yung pinaka effective na mapapalo nya.

Napa-pitlag na lang ako ng may biglang tumapik sa likod ko. "Nagulat ba kita? Sorry, baby Ji. Kanina pa kasi kita tinatawag eh parang ang lalim nang iniisip mo." Ngiti ni ate Ly.

"Okay lang, ate Ly. Anyway, good morning!" Ngiti ko na lang, pushing my thoughts away.

"Good morning din, Ji! It's rare to see you alone ha." Ate Ly comments.

"Kausap ko lang po kanina si Mich, iniwan naman ako." Sabi ko as I drop my gym bag on the floor. "Asan pala po yung rookies, Cap?"

Kumunot naman yung noo ko when ate Ly smiles at me knowingly. "Paki-tawagan nga si Bea, baby Ji. Di ko rin kasi alam kung bakit wala sila ngayon eh. Kagabi ko pa kasi di makausap. Baka naman may problema."

"Ganun po ba? Magka-text naman kami last night, she seemed fine naman." Bigla tuloy akong nag-alala kay Bea. Ang unlikely kasi nun kasi Bea's not the type to ignore a text or call kahit na wala pang kwenta yung message mo. Ganun yun ka-friendly eh. I shuffle my bag and got my phone, quickly dialing Bea's number.

After a couple of rings, she finally picks up. "Hello Ji?"

"Bei? Where are you? Pa-start na yung training ah." I say, looking at ate Ly na naka-ngiti lang sakin.

Akala ko ba hindi sinasagot ni Bea yung mga texts or tawag ni ate Ly?

"Hay nako, Ji. Miss mo na ba agad ako?" I roll my eyes at what she said. Dakilang mang-aasar eh.

"Miss mo mukha mo, Bea. Wipe that damned smirk on your face kasi for sure you're smirking like a weirdo again." I say kasi alam kong naka-smirk nga sya. Weirdo King/Queen kasi yun. As soon as I hear her laugh, alam kong tama ako. "Ano na De Leon? Di mo pa sinasagot yung tanong ko."

"I'm at a photoshoot." She says simply kahit alam nyang maiinis ako sa sagot nya. Hindi ko kasi alam kung ginu-goodtime ba ako or pinipilosopo.

"Aba, isa ha. Kailan ka pa naging model, Bea? Gumala ka siguro kasama sina Maddie no? Ikaw talaga, sinama mo pa sa kalokohan mo yung dalawa!" I say na kinatawa ni ate Ly. Tignan mo 'tong Captain namin, nagsi-skip na nga yung mga rookies tapos okay lang sakanya. Papasermunan ko talaga 'tong si Bea kay ate Den eh.

"Grabe Ji yang accusation mo ha. I'm at a Getblued photoshoot po since kaming tatlo yung bagong endorsers. Di ba nasabi sainyo ni ate Ly? She knows that we're exempted from training today."

"Ha? But she said na hindi nya alam kung bakit ka wala and I should just call you.." I say puzzled. Narinig ko yung tawa nya at the other end of the line kaya I frowned at ate Ly. Kaya pala kanina pa ko tinatawanan!

"Baka naman kasi halatang miss mo na talaga ako, Ji. Hay nako, what would you do when I'm not around ba?" Bea teases me.

Hangin talaga nito ni Kapre.

"Kapal mo, Beatriz. Sumbong kita kay Maddie eh!" I say. Aw. "Sige na, talk to you later. Start na ng training."

"Okay, Jia. Anyway, lunch tayo mamaya please? Sagot ko na."

I softly chuckle. "Bumabawi ah? Aba, dapat lang. Iniiwan-iwan mo lang best friend mo."

"Kaya nga po babawi na para di mo na ako ma-miss lalo."

Napa-isip naman ako. "Maddie wouldn't mind? Lagi na kayong sabay nun ah."

"She'll also catch up with Trey kasi.."

"Ayon, lumabas na rin yung katotohanan. Wala ka lang kasama kaya inaya mo ako." Pagda-drama ko. Kakasama ko 'to kay Jhoana eh. Halos kami na kasi laging magkakasama nina Mich simula nung naging madalas na yung pagsasama nina Maddie at Bea.

"Drama mo, Ji. Kakasama mo yan kay Jho eh." She says na kinatawa ko naman. Yun din kasi yung nasa isip ko. "Anyway, I'll pick you up sa last class mo. Decide where you want to eat, okay? Date tayo."

"I won't hold back then!" I laugh. "Bye Bei. See you later!"

I ended the call and was suprised when ate Ly pinches my cheeks. "Ang cute nyo, Jia!"

I frown. "Sya lang cute, ate Ly. Maganda ako."

Ate Ly laughs. "Ang bilis mo mahawa sa ugali ng mga nakakasama mo ha. Anyway, may date kayo mamaya?"

"Kakain lang kaming lunch, ate. Grabe ka naman sa date eh may girlfriend na yun." Again, ouch. "Tsaka bumabawi lang yun since pinapagpalit nya kami nina Mich para kay Maddie."

"Selos ka naman." Ate Ly thought for awhile before speaking seriously. "Alam mo, I like Flyfly pero I ship you and Bea together."

Natigilan naman ako. Does she know about Bea and Maddie? Napansin naman ata ni ate Ly yun kaya she continued. "I already know about it, Ji. I may look like I only care about you guys when it only concerns volleyball pero that's wrong. I care about my teammates as a whole. Kung may problema kayo, gusto ko na malalapitan nyo ako. I treat you girls as my family na rin eh."

"Alam ko naman yun, ate. I also treat this team as family po." Sabi ko naman. She smiles at me as she pats my head.

"Oo naman, Denden the second ka nga eh." We laugh. Sinabi na rin kasi yun dati nina Mich. Yung same seriousness pero ibang klase na pag ngumiti. Kaya nga siguro I'm close with ate Den. Nagkaka-connect kasi kami. "But kidding aside, I meant every word I've said Ji."

"We're lucky to have you as our Captain, ate Ly." I say, side hugging her. "Kahit na niloko mo ako kanina sa sitwasyon ni Bea."

"Hey, I'm on your side here baby Ji. Tignan mo dahil sakin may date kayo mamaya ni Bei." She chuckles.

"Ate Ly naman eh!" Maktol ko. Hindi ko alam kung bakit pinupush kami ni Bei together when they know na in a relationship naman na si Mokong. Pano pa kaya pag nalaman nilang si Maddie yung girlfriend nun? "Ba't ba ako pine-pair up dun kay Kapre?"

"Ang solid kasi ng JiBea connection.." Mich chips in, making us look at her. "What? I'm just stating the obvious here."

"JiBea?" Sabay na tanong namin ni ate Ly, making Mich looks amused.

"Jia and Bea, duh." Mich chuckles and I frowned.

"I'm giving you five seconds to run, Morente. Wag mo hayaang mahabol kita." Mich didn't have to be told twice. She runs away from us while I count from one to five. Kahit naman kasi bigyan ko pa yun ng ilang seconds as a head start, mahahabol at mahahabol ko pa rin yun. When I finished counting, I smiled at ate Ly. "Wait lang, ate ha. May kaltok lang sakin si Mich."

Ate Ly chuckles. "Ano kayang reaksyon ni Bea kapag nalaman nya yung JiBea?"

"Wala syang magiging reaksyon dahil hindi nya malalaman, ate." I say, smiling sweetly at her. Yung bang creepy na smile.

"Gosh, you're creepy! Denden the second ka nga. Fine, my lips are sealed with this one. Si Mich na lang problemahin mo."

I laugh. "Thanks, ate Ly!"

*

"Finally, lunch time!" I cheer as our professor dismisses us. I turn to Mich and Jho who were my classmates on this subject. "Let's eat na please!"

Jho frowns at me as she hugs me. "I can't today, Ji. Magkikita pa kami nina Ana sa library since may kailangan pa kaming tapusing papers. Damn, gutom na gutom pa naman na ako!"

"Ayaw mo sumaglit muna? Pano ka magiging productive nyan kung walang laman yung tyan mo?" I ask worriedly. "Wag ka pagutom, Jho. Baka magka-ulcer ka nyan."

"Yun na nga eh. Ipapasa na kasi yun mamaya kaya I really need to do it." Jho says. "Tsaka alam mo naman kapag student-athlete, di maiiwasang mag-sacrifice sa mga bagay bagay."

"Hay nako, Jhoana. Bakit naman kasi hindi mo yan ginawa nitong mga nakaraang araw?" Tanong ni Mich.

"Eh kasi nga di ba, I'm work extra hard sa training to the point na nagse-stay pa ako ng additional hours para maayos yung landing ko? Knocked out na ako agad pagdadating ko sa dorm." She sighs. It's true though, we've never seen Jho train that hard and nakikita ng buong team yung unti-unti nyang pag-improve. Even the coaching staffs are impressed with her.

"Oo nga pala, Jho. You always work naman pero bakit you're working harder this time around?" Mich asks.

"Eh kasi I promised Bea na I would really commit this time. Last time kasi, I admit na nakulangan ako sa effort na binibigay ko. Alam ko na hindi lang hanggang dun yung kaya ko ibigay. And Bea made me realize that. She said na kaya ko naman, it's just walang athlete ang nag-umpisang magaling agad syempre without hard work and proper discipline." Jho smiles as she explains. "Totoo naman yung mga sinabi nya since I admit na I used to just train for the sake of training, hindi dahil sa gusto ko pang-mag improve. I thought sapat na yung binibigay ko to make people recognize my talent so one way or another, parang si Bea yung naging wake up call ko."

I smile. Ang galing lang kasi talaga ni Bea. She knows how to cheer up and motivate someone who's really down. So far, ang ganda ng effect nya sa team. I admit na she's the team's happy pill.

"Nako, baka iba na yan Jhoana Louisse ha." Mich smirks.

Tumawa naman si Jho. "Ay nako, mga beh. Kung wala lang girlfriend baka ako pa ang manligaw."

"Baliw, Jho!" Mich laughs. "Ibang klase talaga si Bea! Idol ko na sya simula ngayon. Ano kaya meron kay Idol? Partida wala pang ginagawa yun ah!"

"Naturally charming kasi talaga si Bei." I say.

"Oh see? Looks like Jia also knows kung anong meron kay Bea." Jho laughs, making me frown.

"Ewan ko sainyo. Lahat na lang ng sabihin ko about kay Bei, issue sainyo." I say dramatically. Bea's right, masyado na nga akong nagsasama kay Jho kaya I'm being like this already.

"Hay nako, mga beh. Alis na nga ako." Sabi ni Jho and bumeso saming dalawa ni Mich.

"Kumain ka kahit biscuit at wag kang magpapalipas, Jhoana ha!" I shout dahil medyo nakalayo na rin sya. She turned around naman smiling and raised a thumbs up. "Good luck!"

Naiwan kami ni Mich na kanina pa kinikilig habang nakatingin sa phone nya. "Ano, babe? Let's eat na."

"Aw babe, I can't ngayon. Monthsary namin ni El, remember?"

"Hala, oo nga pala! Happy monthsary pero makakaya mo ba talagang iwan ako, babe?" I pout.

"No matter how cute you are right now, babe, kailangan ko. Tsaka tayo na nga laging magkasama since roommates tayo, nasa iisang team, magkaklase pa. Alam kong mahal mo ako pero give me space rin naman."

Napatawa ako. "Nako, parang di dapat ako yung sinasabihan mo nyang space monologue mo na yan ah."

"Kailangan ko 'tong ilabas babe. Baka mapuno ako." Mich chuckles then stops as she looks as something. "Oh, ayan na pala ang kukumpleto ng araw mo."

"Ha?" Tinignan ko naman kung san sya nakatingin. Napangiti naman ako when I see Bea's black Mercedes-Benz coming to our way.

"Ang ngiti, Jia! Mali pala yung sinabi ko kanina, hindi lang pala araw mo yung makukumpleto nya. Pati pala buhay mo." Mich teases me and before I could even react, tumakbo na sya papunta sa kotse ni Bea at kumatok pa sa bintana nito.

"Uy chicks tayo ngayon ah?" Mich chuckles as soon as Bea rolled her window down. Napatingin ako kay Bea who looks extra gorgeous because of the slight make up she has on.

"Well, hello to you too Michifu. Napansin mo pa rin? I've been wiping this off for ages." Bea laughs outloud. "Anyway, kayo lang? Let's go girls."

"Actually, si Jia lang talaga yung makakasama mo. Jho's finishing a paper with Ana while I have to be with El since you know, monthsary namin ngayon."

"Happy monthsary to the both of you, Michifu. Pakibati na rin si El kahit na hindi pa nya ako kilala." Bea grins then looks at me. "Hey, Ji. You look beautiful today. Anyway, hop in!"

Napailing na lang ako sa bluntness ni Bea while I sprint towards her car. Bumeso ako kay Mich who was smirking playfully at me. "Ayon, beautiful naman pala. Alis na nga kayo bago ako maimbyerna."

Bago pa lang ako makalapit sa kotse ni Bea, lumabas sya sa sasakyan nya and opened the door for me. Gentleman naman talaga 'to kahit noon pa. "Hay nako, Bei. One of these days papakilala kita kay El. Maybe she can learn a thing or two from you."

"What do you want me to teach her ba?" Bea smirks ng nakakaloko at agad naman syang hinampas sa braso ni Mich na humagalpak ng tawa. "Aray ko, Michifu!"

"Gago ka talaga, Bea! Idol na talaga kita."

"I don't know what you're thinking about pero I'm sure dirty yun." Bea laughs. "Ang perv mo, Michifu. Mabait ako no."

"Wag ako, Bea! Alam kong parehas lang tayo ng naisip since nagets mo nga agad. Painosente si Idol."

They both laugh habang ako, tinatry i-process kung anong pinag-uusapan nila. "Ewan ko sayo, Mich. Go have fun na nga with El. But not too much fun ha? You need to finish college pa."

Humagalpak na naman silang dalawa nang tawa. "Baka maka-buo!"

They bid farewells then Bei rolls up her window na while Mich got in a car na baka kay El. "Ano, where do you want to go?" Yung ngitian talaga nito yung parang she makes you feel like you're her favorite person in the world tapos she genuinely likes spending time with you.

Hay, Beatriz. You're killing me here.

*

Hi! So Jia's POV for this chapter since you know chapter twelve pero pag binilang nyo, part fourteen. (Pauso ka, self.)

Kapit lang tayo, JiBea shippers!

✌ out. 🐯

x, bbgirlxxx 🌻